CONCUSSIONSIPRICHARD SKEET

Rig The Game

Maid makes him breakfast.
Ray eats,says to the maid:“Thank you.
It was awesome.”

-Pause

Ray to Johanna: “Where’s my dad?”

Johanna: “In his office,
down that hall,
on the right.”

Richie Rich’s office is massive.
Contained in the office:
a massive book-collection,
a couch,
a fireplace,
a whiteboard,
multiple TV’s displaying news and information,
couches,
and a large conference-table.
Richie Rich is on the phone at his desk,
huge computer-screens surround him.

He sees Ray,
smiles;
holds a finger up,
indicating,
he’ll be off the phone in a minute.
Ray has never seen so many books before,
outside the city library.

Richie Rich finishes up whatever he was doing on the computer,
gives Ray his total attention.

Richie Rich: “Trading stocks.
You know anything about the markets?”

Ray: “Not much.
Mom says it’s ‘just gambling.’”

Richie Rich smiles as if to say:
“It figures.”

Instead he replies:Richie Rich: “Trading stocks can be gambling for most people.
Poker is ‘just gambling’ too,
Ray.
Casinos make a lot of money ‘just gambling’.”

Ray: “But casinos have odds stacked in their favor;
don’t they?”

Richie Rich: “Correct.
Let me ask you a question:
If you knew,
with 100% certainty,
a certain slot-machine is going to pay off on the next pull,
and you put a dollar in,
and it pays you a hundred grand,
is that ‘just gambling?’”

Ray: “No.”

Richie Rich: “What if you were to bribe a slot-machine repair-man,
twenty-five grand,
to rig the machine;
then you pull the slot lever,
win one-hundred grand,
for a net profit of seventy-five grand-
Would that be ‘just gambling’?”

Ray: “No.”

Richie Rich: “Now you understand the stock market.Powerful men in the world,
who control,
the men who:
design,
operate,
maintain,
and repair the machines of this world.
These powerful men rig the game;then reap the rewards.
These powerful men pay well,
so everyone lets them do their thing.”

Ray: “So you make money if the stock goes up.
Doesn’t everyone benefit?”

Richie Rich: “Son,
with the stock market,
I can make money whether the stock goes:
up,
down,
or stays the same;
as long as I bet the right way.
If I buy a call option:
I make money if the stock goes up.
If I buy a put option:
I make money if the stock goes down.
If I sell a call,
and sell a put:
I make money if the stock stays the same.
You get it?”

Ray: “No.”

Richie Rich: “I’ll teach you about stock-market derivatives in the future.
For now,
my lessons on the stock market are these:Lesson 1,the stock market is a rigged game;unless you are rigging the game,or,know those who are rigging the game;don’t play,ever.Lesson 2,there are ways to make money whether a stock:goes up,down,or,stays the same.That’s all you need to know about the stock market for now.
Let’s go to the dojo.”

SEM

In the dojo,
a black katana,
in a stand on the floor.
His dad hands Ray a black gi.

Richie Rich: “This is a gi:
the uniform of a student.
Go change;
meet me here when you’re done.”

Ray: “OK.”
Ray returns after a few minutes;
his father’s dressed in a black gi also.
His father’s gi:
slightly worn;
faded black;
has patches and symbols sewn into it.
Richie Rich:
breathing deeply,
eyes closed,
kneeling in front of the katana.
Ray kneels in front of Richie Rich,
instinctively.
Ray closes his eyes:
tries to breathe like his father.
Richie Rich opens his eyes;
smiles.

Richie Rich: “Stay seated;
got a present for you.”
Richie Rich walks out of the dojo.
Walks back in,
carrying two packages:
wrapped in shiny-black paper,
no bows,
no card.

Richie Rich: “Open them.”

An iPhone and an iPad. Ray smiles,
even though it’s not the most-comfortable thing to do,
(because of his jaw.)Richie Rich: “Bring your iPad or iPhone with you everywhere you go,
for the rest of your life:These are your sword;
these are your katana.”

Ray: “OK.”

Etiquette

Richie Rich: “It’s important you practice dojo etiquette,
every day you come here.
From now on,
when you come into the dojo in the morning:
Always wear your gi.
Never wear your shoes.
Bow before entering.
Leave your worries at the door.
Respect your teacher/master.
Call him or her sifu.
Always be well-rested and ready for class.
Pay attention.
Take notes.
Give 100% effort while in class.
Do your homework.These rules comprise dojo etiquette.Doing these things honors yourself,
me,
and your dojo.Your dojo is a sacred place.Treat your dojo with the respect and reverence it deserves.
Treat your dojo like:
a church,
a holy place,
a shrine,
a temple,
a college classroom,
for it’s all these things,
and more.What you learn in the dojo,will enable you to accomplish great things.

Open up a Pages document,
take notes of what you’re taught.
Write down everything you learn,
from me and others;
be diligent about this.
When you take notes,
you show respect to your sifu,
and honor yourself.

To learn what a master teaches you:Be here; now.Focus 100% of your attention on your sifu.
Think about everything communicated.
Summarize the lesson in your own words.
Reread what you wrote,
at least once on the same day.
Then,
edit your notes,
so you remember the lesson forever.
Reread your notes in the future,
as often as it takes,
till the lesson is a part of you.”

Ray: “What does sifu mean?”

Richie Rich: “Sifu means master,or teacher,or father.It means all three of these things in Chinese.

Every day,
at 10:30 A.M. there will be a sifu waiting to teach you a lesson.Treat them all with respect.Showing them respect,
shows respect to me.
If you disagree with what a sifu says,
don’t be afraid to ask questions.
If you reject what they say,
ask me or someone else about it later.

Address every teacher you meet in this dojo, ‘sifu.’
If you don’t believe an individual sifu to be your master,
then keep that belief to yourself;
think of the word sifu to mean teacher rather than master,
for that individual sifu.
OK?”

Ray: “Why do you use sifu which is Chinese?
Dojo and katana are Japanese,
sifu?”

Richie Rich: “Good question.
The answer is I am Furai.Furai:respect and learn from all cultures.Absorb what makes sense.Reject what doesn’t make sense.

The Japanese,
historically,
made the best dojos and the finest swords;
out of respect for this fact:
Furai use Japanese words to describe these things.

This is a Japanese dojo;
in Japan dojos are sacred places,
like a church or shrine.
This makes sense to me.

The finest form of fighting ever envisioned:The Tao of Jeet Kune Do,
invented by Bruce Lee,
an American.
What made Bruce Lee superior to any boxer,
sensei,
sifu,
or any other teacher of fighting forms,
his ideas:Learn everything you can,from as many sources as are available.Accept what works for you.

Be formless,in the moment,like water.

Use what works for you.

Adapt to individual opponents,battlefields,situations.

Out of respect forthese ideas,
and the American,Bruce Lee,that codified these ideas;Furai use the word sifu.”

The Ultimate Fighting Form

Richie Rich: “They are all equally great,and equally wrong,at the same time.
Bruce Lee saw this in the 60s.
He wrote a book called The Tao of Jeet Kune Do in the 70s.
Bruce’s theories:Learn everything you can.Bruce read and studied all fighting forms.Choose what works best for you,at that moment,
against that opponent,
and use it.

If you watch MMA or UFC,
Bruce Lee was proved correct!All the best fighters in the world today,ALL study Jeet Kune Do;
whether they acknowledge it or not.

Look at Drew and look at Bruce:Two very different men.
Drew’s massive,strong,powerful.
Flexible?
Nope.
Can’t lift his leg above his waist.
Fast?
Not really.
Bruce,
on the other hand:
fast, agile, flexible.
Bruce’s lightning fast,
this is very rare.
Bruce can actually kick above the waist in a real fight,without being blocked.
Most men attempting this are fools.
You’re very vulnerable when you kick high.
High kicks look good in movies,
but,
you’ll rarely see a high kick in a real fight.To teach both of these men the same form of combat:foolish.Drew will never be able to kick well.
Bruce’s so small and light,
he must be aware of his surroundings,
more so than anything else.

The way to fight 140 pound,
lightning fast Bruce:
put him in a corner;
knock him down;
hold him down;
kick him hard,
when he’s down.

The way to fight 280 pound,
slow,
but super-strong Drew:
choose a large area,
like a field;
stay away from him;
wear at him,
striking what’s exposed,
and above all:
don’t let him grab you;
don’t let him corner you.

Different fighters,
different opponents,
different styles,
different training,
different strategies for different situations.Fluidity,adaptability,flexibility,experimentation,strategy-So-many variables in a real fight,from energy,to focus,to emotion,skill is important;but,many things are important.

Real fights are rarely like what you see in the movies,
where one guy’s so fast,
the other guy can’t touch him.
Real fights come down to:
a few key-moments,
a few key-hits,
and having the will-power to persevere through pain and adversity.
What do you think intimidates a man more?
Seeing an opponent practice a few,
fast,
perfectly-executed kicks over his head?
Or,
hitting an opponent with everything you have,
then,
watching that adversary smile at you?
Witnessing a ‘beaten’ man keep coming at you?”

Ray: “Both would be frightening to me,
sifu.”

Richie Rich smiles.Richie Rich: “High kicks don’t intimidate me.A man who’ll absorb your best punch,for a chance to grab and break your arm,that is truly scary.This is the essence of Jeet Kune Do:
being formless,
adaptable,
but,
educated,
and trained;
not worrying about the outcome of a fight;
being willing to lay-down your life for victory;
being willing to allow someone to hurt you,
for the opportunity to end them.A true master will learn everything,then,choose the best tools to use for himself,in an individual fight.”

Xinfinity Intro

Richie Rich: “Xinfinity is a higher-level concept.
You will learn it,
in depth,
as a Level-Two Furai.
Briefly,
Xinfinity:Furai examine every activity or behavior in their life.

Some activities Furai eliminate:have no value.Examples:
smoking,
drinking for the alcoholic,
drugs-

Some activities Furai do as-much as they-can.
Working,
eating good food.

You’ll learn Xinfinity analysis,
in depth,
in the future.
For now,
understand Xinfinity to mean:You have the right,and the obligation,to choose:how you spend every-second of your life,and,what you do with your precious time.Regiment your life:diet,relationships,activities,to create the universe you desire.”

Ray: “Isn’t exercising good for you,
sifu?
Isn’t goofing off with friends a waste of time?”

Richie Rich: “I worked as a salesman long ago,
with this guy named Eric.Eric was a talented salesman.

Eric worked-out every day;
looked like a bodybuilder.
Eric:
went bowling every night at 6:00 P.M.
spent a lot of time with his family.
When he came to work:
always on the phone fighting with his wife.
Took long lunches.
Always trying to start a business,
usually,
some get-rich-quick scheme.
Constantly interviewing for new jobs-Eric was always broke,always in financial trouble.Eventually his wife left him.

Exercising is good for you.
Bowling is fun.
Communicating with your wife’s important.
Starting a business can make you rich.
Taking a long lunch can help you:
refocus,
get your mind straight,close deals-
But,if you can’t pay your fucking bills,you’ll lose everything!

Eric needed to regiment his life.Eric needed to sit down,with pen and paper and say to himself:‘I will dedicate 45-hours-a-week to my job,exclusively.While at my job,I’ll focus all my energy on sales production.(If he did this:
Eric would’ve earned a lot of money,
he was a talented salesman.)

I love bowling,
but the bowling league’s costing me too-many late-night deals.
Unfortunately,
I have to give up the bowling league for financial reasons.

I love working out,
but,
the amount of time I spend in the weight-room is too-extreme.
I’ll limit my exercise to three days-a-week,
an hour-per-workout,tops.

I’ll spend the rest of my time at home,
working on my family.

As for:
starting a business,
getting a new job,
interviewing for a new job:these are a waste of time,
for me.
They need to be eliminated,at least until I have some money in the bank!‘

Plan your life in advance;set up a regiment leading to your personal success and happiness.”

Ray: “I get it, sifu.”

Richie Rich: “Good.
Like I said,
we’ll talk more about it later.X-infinity:set limits on how much you do,what you do,and what you eliminate.

Have fun with your friends,
spend time with your girlfriend,
work out,
watch a little TV,
have some fun;
but,focus the largest block,of time and energy,on what’s most important to you.”